U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,816 issued Dec. 17, 1985 and owned by the assignee of this invention discloses a can carton in which a pair of handle panels are struck from one carton wall and whose adjacent edges are coincidental with a transverse perforated slit extending across the one carton wall and having end projections extending into the carton walls foldably joined with the one carton wall, the fold lines for the handle panels being straight and substantially parallel with each other.